Potato chip construction



Sept. 30, 1952 B. STAHMER 2,612,453

POTATO CHIP CONSTRUCTION Filed May 25, 1949 0' 2 Fig.1 ;Z z a: I L :1 a

Patented Sept. 30, 1952 v 1.

This invention relates to' the manufacture of potato chips-and more particularly is it an object of -this invention to provide a potato *chip' of greater novelty, 'edibility, and strength than heretofore. In the prior art, potato chips have been made having alternate ridges and furrows dispose'd'in parallelism on two sides of the chips.

Potato chips of the type described are usually I formed by a machine inwhich atleast two outters move across a potato from opposite sides thereof, the swaths intersecting each other'at certain angles in accordance with the-type-of potato chip being. made and in accordance with the construction of the slicing machine used;

- Potato chips of the prior art have'had-adisadvantage in that they lend themselves only to manufacturing motions in which the cutting' swaths intersect at the center ofith'e-potato in substantial parallelism with'respect-to eachother. Such chips and methods cause the wasteof the small diametered ends of" a potato which" are chewed up by the blades. ods also cause a weak point at the center of a chip of larger diameter formed from the middle ofapotato.

It is therefore an object of this invention to Such chips and meth provide a chip having alternate ridges and furrows on both sides of the chip, and a chip which additionally has suflicient strengthto avoid breakage during packaging, handling, and delivery of the chips from themanufacturer to the consumer.

A particular object of the invention is to provide a potato chip'as described in which the' concave sides of ridges on opposite sides of a chip face in opposite directions so as to provide the chips with greater strength than is possible when the ridges face in similar directions.

Another object of the invention is to provide a potato chip as described having perforations where the furrows of one side intersect the furrows of the opposite side, the perforations being irregular but substantially round, rather than oblong, whereby the potato chip is not unduly weakened by its perforations.-

A further object of the invention resides in the provision of the ribs or ridges on opposite sides of a chip being disposed intersecting each other at more nearly a right angle than heretofore for increasing the strength of the chip.

Yet a further object of the invention is to provide a potato chip which is adapted to be manufactured by a cutting machine constructed so that the swath of the cuts, made from two sides UNITED A E PATENT Q 'I'CE :"POTATQCHI'P oonsrnvc rlon v V I. Bernhardtjstahmer, .I Q; Apmitsuag 1949,'siiafiNd s sir v Q stats-s; (01.99 H

maximum thickness at all raised points thereof.

;Yet another object of the invention is to provide a potato chipflof'mores'ales appeal than heretofore.

A further objectof the invention is to provide a potato chipfsuchas canbe made by the machine described the applicants' prior patent application titled Eccentric Knife Potato SlicerPSerial Number3f5,6 l'1,'filed June 28, 194s."

"'..A' still further objectof the invention is to pro: vide a potato chip having "p'erfor'ations'so'shaped that cooking oil can flow freelytherethrough for more efficient, thorough andrapidfcooking.

Othefandjstill further objects and advantages of the invention. will become j apparent from the following detailed description of a preferred embodiment "thereof,

In the drawings: j I

Figure 1i isia photographic; semi-diagrammatic top plan View of the potato chip of this invention shown after it has been cookedand isfieadyf'or eating. H I v Figure 2 is a"view-in-section taken along the line 2-2 of Figure "1, the chip'inFigure 2 being substantially flat'as it is previous to cooking; Figure 3 is a view-in-section taken along the line 3j.. 3 of Figure Land prior tocooking. I e v "Figure 4 is' a view-in-sectiontaken along the line 4-4'of Figure 1, and prior to cooking.

The potato chip. of this invention is provided with alternate, parallel, ridges ID on one side thereof, spaced apart from each other by alternate parallel furrows 12. The ridges l0 and furrows [2 are disposed in parallelism and are arcuate in shape.

The opposite side of the chip is provided with alternate, parallel, ridges M which are spaced apart by alternate, parallel, furrows IS. The ridges l4 and furrows l6 are also arcuate in shape.

The furrows l6 preferably intersect with the furrows 12 at equidistantly spaced apart points, providing apertures [8, for providing the chip with a more novel and marketable appearance.v

The furrows l2 and I6 are preferably provided with inclinedly disposed side walls, so that, as best seen in Figure 4, cookingloil can pass freely through the apertures l8 during cooking, providing a more efficiently, thoroughly, and quickly cooked chip than heretofore.

As best seen in Figure 4, the apertures l8 are thus provided with outwardly flaring sidewalls on two opposite sides thereof for permitting cooking oil to flow freely therethrough. I

As is illustrated in the above described patent application, the potato chip of this invention is arcuate.

manufactured by a machine making cuts across the potato from two opposite directions in alter-- nation. As a result the ridges and furrows are It is desired, however, that th'e'ridg'es- H [U be disposed crossing the ridges M at nearly a right angle, as is possible for providing the chip with maximum strength.

Accordingly the furrows on one side of the chip of'this invention intersect the furrows on the other side of the chip at-substantially right angles as shown in Figure 1. Moreparticularly the furrows on one side of the chip at no point or at no part thereof intersect the furrows on the other side of the chip at right angles. I

As a result, the apertures 18 are each of more nearly a circular shape than would otherwise be possible. v Apertures of more nearly circular shape are desir'edbecause elongated apertures disposed in alignment would cause the potato chip to, be

unduly weakened whereby it would crack and crumble in shipping and handling. I

In other words the perforation for, apertures I 8 are preferably of substantially. the samejwidth in all directions. 'It' will be of course seen that the perforations cannot be exactly; circular in shape because ofthe arcuatefarrangernent of ridges'and furrows 'and'furth'e'r because of :the irregular dispo'Siti'dh'joF cooking oil crust upon the chip,.as shown 'infFigu're l. 7

It will also beseen'that the ridges T!) on: one side of the chip are disposed with 'theircdn cave sides facing in an opposite direction from'the direction faced' by the concavesides of the ridges 14, thus increasing the strength "tif'th'eicliip. The ridges and furrows of one sideof "the-chip are at all places disposed transversely -with the respect of the ridges and furrows 'o'ntlie other side of the chip. This invention hasprovided a potato chip of greater novelty, edibility, and strength, which can be manufacturedwith'lesswastethanheretofore.

- From the-foregoin descripti'onit is thought to'be obvious that apotato chip construction in 5 accordance with my-invention' isparticularly well operated, and it will also be obvious that my in-.

vention is susceptible of some change and modification without departing from the principles and spirit thereof, and for this reason I do not wish to be understood as limiting myself tothe precise arrangement and formation of the several parts herein shown in carrying out my invention inp'ra'ctice, except as claimed.

'Iclaim:

1. A potato chip having a plurality of alternate ridges and furrows extending across one face thereof insubstantially' parallel arcuate paths and having a plurality of alternate ridges and furrows, extending across the other face thereof in substantially parallel arcuate paths, said ridges -eachhaving 'd'ivergingly disposed side walls terminatiiigin a widened base, the furrows on opposite'faces of said ch'ip laterally intersecting eachother for providing the chip with spaced perforations, said spaced vperforations.appear ingf-in the bottom of said intersectingfurrows between: said bases and defining arcuate intersecting rows across the faces of said chip, thereby avoiding straight rows of spaced;.perforations which would tend to structurally weaken-the chip. v

I 2. A'potato chip havingJ-a plurality of alternate ridges and furrowsextending-across one face thereof in substantially parallel arcuate paths and having. a plurality-of alternate :ridges and furrows extending across theother face thereof in substantially parallel arcuate paths, said ridges each having :divergingly disposed sidewalls terminating in a widened base, the furrows on opposite faces, of said chip laterally intersecting each other forgproviding the chip with spaced perforations, said spaced perforations appearing in the bottom of said intersecting furrows between said bases and definingarcuate intersecting rows across the faces of said chipythereby avoiding straight rows of spaced perforations which would tend to structurally weaken thechip, said perforations each being substantially ci-rcular in shape. g j BERNHARDT S IAHMER;

H 4 REFERENCES emu The following references are of record in the file of this patent: i UNITED STATES PATENTS Number V Name [Date W $78,511 Rghier JuIy 1:6, 1901 

1. A POTATO CHIP HAVING A PLURALITY OF ALTERNATE RIDGES AND FURROWS EXTENDING ACROSS ONE FACE THEREOF IN SUBSTANTIALLY PARALLEL ARCUATE PATHS AND HAVING A PLURALITY OF ALTERNATE RIDGES AND FURROWS EXTENDING ACROSS THE OTHER FACE THEREOF IN SUBSTANTIALLY PARALLEL ARCUATE PATHS, SAID RIDGES EACH HAVING DIVERGINGLY DISPOSED SIDE WALLS TERMINATING IN A WIDENED BASE, THE FURROWS ON OPPOSITE FACES OF SAID CHIP LATERALLY INTERSECTING EACH OTHER FOR PROVIDING THE CHIP WITH SPACED PERFORATIONS, SAID SPACED PERFORATIONS APPEARING IN THE BOTTOM OF SAID INTERSECTING FURROWS BETWEEN SAID BASES AND DEFINING ARCUATE INTERSECTING ROWS ACROSS THE FACES OF SAID CHIP, THEREBY AVOIDING STRAIGHT ROWS OF SPACED PERFORATIONS WHICH WOULD TEND TO STRUCTURALLY WEAKEN THE CHIP. 